Enhances Safety & Security
Smart homes greatly enhance people’s levels of safety. By being able to easily turn off any smart appliances from your phone – within seconds – there’s no more reason to panic when you’re out of the house and suddenly realize that you’ve left the oven on. (Some smart appliances have been designed to turn themselves off when not in use.)
For greater security, you can remotely lock any home doors you forgot to lock. You can also use smart appliances to monitor your home – and your loved ones inside. So, whether you’re sitting in your office 30 minutes away or on a business trip abroad, you can view your child or pet from afar and exchange voice messages with them through a toy or device. Automated technology offers peace of mind to parents about care takers or loved ones left by themselves.
Good for the wallet & the environment
Smart home technology is more cost- and energy-efficient than traditional home appliances and electronics. Since connected appliances are designed to work with the least amount of energy needed, (and provide feedback about how best to preserve energy) this cuts down on gas, electric and water bills. In fact, a US Environmental Protection Agency study reported that owners using smart home technology solely for thermostat control saved between 10%-30% on their energy bill. Take new sensor technology in smart shower systems, which saves money by maximizing water usage and minimizing waste.
Boosts self-sufficiency
The endless apps and connected devices constantly entering the market not only make your life easier but vastly increase accessibility to elderly or disabled family members. This boosts their quality of life. By letting them utilize voice commands to power appliances or by putting control of their daily home needs at their fingertips, they can live more independently. Like you, they can also program a smart robot vacuum to clean for them, and use their phones to handle lawn maintenance or to see who’s just rung the doorbell. For their added safety, you can also remotely monitor them from afar.
Bottom Line: While the benefits of living in a smart home can seem very tempting, its drawbacks and risks can make you long for less technological days. As this trend gets more popular, will it be one we can ignore or even harness? Do you prefer living in a smart home or keeping your inanimate objects “dumb”?